Appliance housing



July 28, 1959 'D DDORSEY 2,897,035

APPLIANCE HOUSING Filed Feb. 12, 1957 .Dornycm l7. Horse g,

APPLIANCE HOUSING Dormau D. Dorsey, Jacksonville, Fla.

Application February 12, 1957, Serial No. 639,705

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-330) This invention pertains to appliance housings and more particularly relates to improved attachment. means for securing an attachable and detachable metal cover on a metal cabinet-like housing.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved appliance housing of the type comprising a cabinet and a cover therefor, and a more particular object is to provide an appliance housing wherein the cover is easily attachable and detachable when'the housing is installed in a confined area; wherein the cover is securely attached to the rear of the cabinet without the use of attachment means other than those afforded by the construction of the housing itself; wherein access to the front only of the housing is necessary to attach or detach the cover; wherein the entire housing can be fitted into a partially enclosed area open at the front and only slightly larger than the housing itself; wherein the appliance contained in the housing is easily accessible; and wherein the attachment means can readily be made additionally secure, such as to prepare the housing for shipment.

One of the principal problems encountered in the installation and servicing of appliances such as hot water heaters has been to maintain accessibility to the appliance during installation of the appliance housing, while utilizing a minimum of overall space. In many instances it would be desirable to place such appliances in partially confined, inconspicuous locations such as in corner areas or closely adjacent to walls and other appliances. However, present conventional construction of such appliance housings customarily requires considerable side or rear clearance to unscrew or unbolt covers and to lift or rotate them off cabinets and requires complicated attachment elements often difficult or awkward to operate and expensive to provide. Prior constructions may not permit installation in close quarters, or if the covers have been attached before installation of the entire housing, accessibility to make electrical and water connections or to adjust the appliances housed therein is hindered or rendered impossible. In addition, such housings are conventionally constructed of sheet metal with a frangible baked-on enamel or porcelain finish, whereby the problems of cover attachment are made more difficult of satisfactory solution by the necessity of avoiding breaking or chipping of the finish.

Further objects of this invention accordingly are to provide an appliance housing which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, which requires no loose bolts, screws or other attachment means requiring clearance to secure the cover on the cabinet, which requires a minimum of time and skill to attach and detach the cover, which has a generally smooth outer surface permitting the application and continued adherence of an enamel or porcelain finish, and which can be easily cleaned. Another object of the invention is to provide an appliance housing including a cabinet and removable cover having no projecting portions, wherein both during and after installation of the housing the cover is easily attachable and detachable to adjust, connect or repair the appliance housed Patented July 28, 1959 EQQ therein, wherein the cover is securely held in place when closed on the cabinet, and wherein the surface material of the housing will not be marred by attachment or detachment of the cover. A still further object of the invention is to provide attachment means which include means permanently aflixing side wall portions of the cabinet to the rear cabinet wall.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the upper portion of an appliance housing embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the upper portion of an appliance housing showing the cover member partially removed from the cabinet body;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the rear portion of one side wall of the cabinet and a portion of its corresponding cover flange; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1 shows the upper portion of an appliance housing 1 having a cover member 2 seated on a cabinet body 3 in closed position. Fig. 2 shows cover member 2 partially removed from cabinet body 3. As seen in these figures the appliance housing 1 comprises a cabinet member 3 formed with an upstanding front wall 4, an upstanding rear wall '5, and upstanding oppositely disposed side walls 6 and 7 joining front wall 4 and rear wall 5. Side walls 6 and 7 extend rear- Wardly of rear wall 5 and have respective upper rear corner or wall ear portions 8 and 9 disposed rearwardly of rear wall 5..

Oppositelydisposed side ends, such as end 10, of rear wall 5 are bent into rearwardly projecting panels such as panel 11, both of which panels lie fiat against the side Wall extensions 41 and 42. The side wall extensions are folded inwardly and back around the rear wall panels, and these folded-back portions of the side wall extensions, such as portion 12 of extension 42, lie fiat against the rear wall panels partially enclosing the panels within the doubled ba'ck portions of the side wall extensions. These doubled back portions define rear seams 43 and 44. The rear seam 44, therefore, comprises side wall extension 42, panel 11, and the folded-back portion 12 of side wall extension 42, and has an inner surface 13 and an outer surface 14. The construction of wall ear portion 9 and rear seam 44 is duplicated in oppositely disposed wall ear portion 8 and rear seam 43. Ear portion 8 and seam 43 have an inner surface designated 15 and an outer surface identified as 16.

The fastening means for joining the side walls to the rear wall comprise dimples which form convexv cover holding detents or knobs, such as knob 17 which protrudes outwardly from wall ear portion 8. Knob 17, for example, is constructed by forcibly indenting or dimpling wall ear portion 8 thereby to form a 'concave dimple 17' in inner surface 15 and a correspondingly upset knob 17 on the outer surface 16 of wall ear portion 8. The dimples clinch or lock together and permanently attach the side wall extension to the panel in seam 43. It will be understood that the upper portions of the seams form or lie within the wall ear portions, and that the dimples and corresponding knobs which constitute the cover holding detents are formed in these seams. The knobs may be formed by the use of a button punch.

As best seen in- Figs. 3 and 4, knob 17 has a gently sloping rounded outer surface 18 decreasing in overall size from a relatively broad base 19 at wall ear portion 8, to its termination outwardly in a rounded tip 20. The angle of inclination of the surface of the knob should be, preferably, an acute angle, and the knob surface should extend at substantially less than a right angle to the cabinet wall surface. The construction of dimple 17 and knob 17 is duplicated on oppositely disposed wall ear portion 9.

Additional dimples, such as dimple 39, may be formed at selective points along the seams to clinch the rear wall panels to each of the respective side wall extensions.

The cover member 2 comprises a main generally rectangular surface portion 21 having a downwardly projecting front flange 22 and a pair of oppositely disposed downwardly projecting side flanges 23 and 29. These side flanges are separated to fit in a sliding fit against their corresponding cabinet side walls generally contacting the respective surfaces of the cabinet walls. Front flange 22 terminates in an inwardly extending lip 24. The main surface portion 21 is extended along its rear edge 25 into 'an upwardly curved rear splash guard 26. The side flanges, such as ange 23, have lower rear corners or ear portions, such as ear portion 27, located 1 generally below and rearwardly of splash guard 26.'

Flange ear portion 27 has an inner surface 3% and an outer surface 31 and has a perforation or circular opening functioning as a socket 32 proportioned to fit and to receive knob 17 when the cover member is closed on the cabinet body, thereby affixing the lower flange ear portions securely on the cabinet. The diameter of socket 32 is approximately equal to the diameter of base 19 of knob 17. The construction of side cover flange 23 having flange ear portion 27 and socket 32 is duplicated in the oppositely disposed side cover flange 29.

It will be understood that the cover holding knobs, such as 17, when pierced as described below, project outwardly from the wall ear portions a distance approximately equal to the thickness dimension of the associated flange ear portion, whereby, when the cover is closed on the cabinet and the knobs are seated in the respective sockets, the tips of the knobs, such as tip 20 of knob 17, are approximately flush with the outer surfaces of the flange ear portions, such as surface 31 of flange ear portion 27.

Suflicient resilience is provided in either the cover flange ear portions or in the side wall ear portions, or both, to permit separation, through the resilient bending of one or the other or both such ear portions, as cover member 2 is urged rearwardly to force each knob to slide under and separate the flange ear portions from their respective wall ear portions. When the rearward movement of cover 2 has proceeded from its Fig. 2 position to its Fig. 1 position, and when, accordingly, the knob is engaged in its respective socket, the respective flange ear portions come into firm resilient contact with the respective side wall ear portions and the knobs retain the cover firmly on the cabinet. This same resilience permits the knobs to be disengaged from the respective sockets when the cover is subsequently removed from to securely hold the cover in closed position on the cabinet. If the slope is more than about 60 degrees, difliculty may be experienced in attaching or removing the cover, while a slope of less than about 20 degrees would seriously decrease the holding power of the knob. It also has been found desirable to utilize a black enamel finish on the flange ear portions as such a finish tends to be less frangible when flexed than does a white finish.

Front cover attachment means are provided in the top portion 4 of cabinet front wall 4 by self-tapping sheet metal screws 35 and 36 screwed into the front wall. The screws 35 and 36 engage lip 24 of cover member 2 when the cover member is in a closed position on cabinet body 3, holding the cover in a closed position on the cabinet, as best shown by the broken-away portion in Fig. 1.

Additional means for securing the cover member on the cabinet body during handling or shipment is provided by piercing the knobs, such as knob 17, through its center 28 permitting the insertion of a self-tappping sheet metal screw 33 having its head 34 of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of socket 32, thereby preventing disengagement of knob 17 from socket 32. It will be understood that screw 33 may be and norm-ally is removed prior to installation of the appliance housing and is not normally utilized in the installed housing, the aforementioned detent closure means being suflicient to hold the cover securely on the cabinet for installed use.

In practice, it has been found desirable to attach cover member 2 to cabinet body 3 by sliding said cover member rearwardly on the cabinet body until lip 24 engages sheet metal screws 35 and 36. The cover flange ear portions meet, in their rearward movement, the knobs, and at this stage by exerting rearward pressure on the front of the cover, due to the aforementioned resiliency of the ear portions, theflange ear portions pass over the knobs, the knobs snapping into the sockets as the corresponding associated ear portions spring back together. The cover member is now firmly held in place on theycabinet body by sheet metal screws 35 and 36 engaging lip 24 and by the knobs engaging their respective sockets in the cover flange ear portions. To remove the cover member, it may be gripped and pulled forwardly, thereby disengaging the knobs from their respective sockets and freeing the cover for forward movement. i A conventional removable front plate 40 may be provided on the cabinet as shown to give access to the front of the appliance in the cabinet, to permit, for example, temperature settings for an electric hot water heater in the cabinet or for similar purposes.

The sockets, such as socket 32, are spaced from the main surface 21 of the cover member and the knobs are spacedrearwardly of the rear wall, whereby flexure of the ear portions does not produce any sharp bending which might split or chip the frangible surface of the ear portions.

It will be understood, of course, that the construction of the oppositely disposed side walls of the cabinet body and side flanges of the cover member are identical.

While only a certain preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that it be understood that it is intended in the appended claim to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

An appliance housing comprising, in combination, a generally rectangular metal cabinet body, said cabinet body comprising an upstanding front wall, an upstanding rear wall, a pair of upstanding side walls joining said front and rear Walls and having respective extensions extending rearwardly of said rear wall, each said extension having an upper rear corner portionconstituting an ear portion, each said wall ear portion having an outer surface, said rear wall having sideends bent into respective rearwardly projecting panels, each said panel having a rear edge, said panels lying flat against said extensions, said extensions having respective end portions folded back around the respective said rear edges and lying flat against said panels, said folded end portions defining respective rear seams having inner and outer surfaces, said seams being locked together by dimpling, said dimpling forming dimples on said inner surfaces and upsetting rounded knobs to protrude from said outer surfaces of said seams, each said wall ear portion being provided with one of said knobs, a detachable metal cover comprising a main generally horizontal rectangular surface portion and having a downwardly projecting front flange and a pair of downwardly projecting side flanges along the corresponding edges of said main portion, said front flange terminating along its lower edge in an inwardly extending lip, said main surface portion extending rearwardly into an upwardly curved rear splash guard portion, each said side flange having a lower rear corner portion constituting a respective side flange ear portion located generally below said splash guard portion, each flange ear portion having a respective inner and outer surface, each said flange ear portion having a respective circular opening receiving a respective said knob of said side wall ear portion when said cover is closed on said cabinet, said knobs having outermost portions approximately flush with the respective outer surfaces of said flange ear portions, said inner surface of said flange ear portion at each side lying against said outer surface of said respective wall ear portion when said cover is in said predetermined closed position, at least one of said ear portions at each respective side of said housing being resilient, each of said knobs of said wall ear portions having a central perforation therein, a respective headed self-tapping sheet metal screw engaged in each of said perforations, the heads of said screws being larger than said openings and engaging the respective outer side flange surface, and lip-engageable means aflixed to said front wall of said cabinet engaged by said lip when said cover is in said predetermined closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 381,824 Bowersoch Apr. 24, 1888 508,237 Pierce Nov. 7, 1893 1,299,232 Rosenberg Apr. ,1, 1919 1,986,980 Ross Jan. 8, 1935 2,220,826 Place Nov. 5, 1940 2,441,563 Clark May 18, 1948 2,547,966 Paden Apr. 10, 1951 2,773,729 Derman Dec. 11, 1956 2,783,111 Hammer Feb. 26, 1957 

